Mercury dispenser



E. H. DODGE ETAL MERCURY DISPENSER Jan. 11, 1955 s She'tS-Sheet 1 Filed July 14, 1955 INVENTORS ERLE H DODGE ROBERTZ; CORWIN g 3 A'rrqnfi Jan. 11, 1955 E. H. DODGE ETAL MERCURY DISPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 14, 1953 lNV ERLE H.

ENTORS DODGE YROBERT D. CORWIN 'ITORN i Jan. 11, 1955 EH. DOUG: ETA-L 2,699,279

MERCURY DISPENSER Filed July 14, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patentf) MERCURY DISPENSER Erle H. Dodge, Beverly, and Robert D. Corwin, Newton, Mass., assignors to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Salem, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 14, 1953, Serial No. 367,914

8 Claims. (Cl. 22619) This invention relates to the manufacture of electric gaseous discharge devices and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for introducing a vaporizable metal such as mercury into said devices In the manufacture of certain electric gaseous discharge devices, such as fluorescent lamps for example, the general practice heretofore has usually been to exhaust and fill the elongated tubular lamp envelopes while they are disposed in a vertical plane. Generally, the mercury dispensing devices employed to introduce mercury into a lamp envelope when it is so disposed utilizes a reciprocatingplunger with a metering orifice therein for withdrawing a smallquantity of mercury from a reservoir thereof and placing it in communication with a sleeve or passageway in register with a tubulation projecting from the end of the lamp envelope. The mercury then drops therethrough and into the lamp envelope.

When, however, the lamp envelopes horizontal plane during exhausting and filling as taught in the co-pending application of Dodge and Kimball, Ser. No. 348,842, filed March 23, 1953, and assigned to the same assignee as this application, gravity cannot be relied upon to effect an introduction of the mercury into the lamp envelope.

Thus, an object of this invention is to provide a mercury dispenser which is particularly adapted for introducing mercury into a lamp envelope through an end thereof when the lamp envelope is disposed in the horizontal plane.

Another object of this invention is to provide electric gaseous discharge devices with a filling of a definite, predetermined quantity of mercury.

A further object is to provide an apparatus which will dispense a definite, predetermined quantity of mercury. A further object is to provide a mercury dispenser which is positive in its action and which dispenses a uniform, pregetermined quantity of mercury each time it is actuate The foregoing objects and others are attained, in accordance with the principles of our invention, by providing a head of an electric gaseous discharge device exhaust machine with a mercury reservoir having a bucket therein which draws a quantity of mercury from the reservoir thereof and feeds it to a metering orifice. At a predetermined point of time in the operating cycle of the apparatus, the mercury in the metering orifice is separated from the body of mercury in the bucket and delivered to a chamber disposed in axial alignment with the tubulation projecting from the adjacent end of the electric gaseous discharge device. After this predetermined quantity of mercury has been delivered to the aforementioned chamber, a gas is introduced therein to sweep the mercury from the chamber, through the tubulation, and into the electricgaseous discharge device.

. A specific embodiment of our invention is described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is afragmentary side elevational view of an exhaust machine head showing the location of anembodiment of our mercury dispenser thereon.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the exhaust machine head of Figure 1 showing particularly the aperture therein through which the lamp tubulation extends.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectionalview of the embodiment of our mercury dispenser shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the mercury dispenser of Figure 3 taken along the line 44 thereof.

Figure 5 is. a schematic diagram. illustrating the posiare disposed in a 2,699,279 Patented Jan. 11, 1955 tion which the mercury bucket within the mercury reservoir assumes at several points during an operating cycle thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, particularly Figure 1 thereof, the lamp exhaust machine head 10 shown therein is provided with a base 12 which is attached to table 14 by screws 16. A sleeve 18, supported in hearings in post 20 (one of which is shown) of the base 12, has a bifurcated arm 22 mounted thereon, the bifurcated portion thereof riding on rod 24 mounted on the post 20. Mercury reservoir 26 is mounted on a rod 28 which is reciprocably disposed within sleeve 18. The reservoir 26 has a bifurcated. arm 30 mounted thereon, the bifurcated portion thereof riding on rod 24. A bolt 32, mounted on arm 30, extends freely through arm 22, the head 34 thereof serving as a stop against arm 22. A burner assembly, designated generally by reference numeral 36, comprises a burner 38 mounted on a burner plate 40 which is in turn mounted on an end of rod 42 which is supported in bearings 44 (one of which is shown) of the head base 12. An electrical contact ring 46, concentric with the burner 38 is mounted on brackets 48 upstanding on and attached to burner plate 40, through insulating buttons 41.

Referring now to Figure 3, a supply of mercury 50 is introduced into the reservoir 26 through a port 52 which is capped by a filler plug 54 and sealed by O-ring 56. The reservoir 26 is provided with a cover plate 58, an air-tight seal being effected therebetween by O-ring 60. The cover plate 58 is provided with an outwardly extending, externally threaded boss 62 within which resilient collar 64 and funnel guide 66 are disposed. Ball-bearing race 68 is concentric with funnel guide 66 and abuts the flange 70 thereof. Ball-bearing race 68, funnel guide 66 and resilient collar 64 are all retained within boss 62 by a cap 72 which is threaded thereon. A lever 74, clamped to the cap 72 by screw 76 (Fig. 2), has a gear 78 mounted thereon. The gear 78 meshes with gear 80 of lever 82 which is pivotally mounted at 84 on the mercury reservoir cover plate 58.

Mercury reservoir cover plate 58 is provided with an inwardly extending boss 86 within which a sleeve 88 is fixedly mounted. A mercury bucket, designated generally by reference numeral 90 (Fig. 4), is rotatably disposedon sleeve 88. The mercury bucket 90 has a scoop 92 at one end thereof, the scoop having a chamber 94 therein registerable with metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88. A screw 98, extending through a buoyant member 100, such as an aluminum block for example, is threaded into the head of a shoulder screw 102 which is, in turn, threaded into the mercury bucket 90 at the end thereof opposite the scoop 92 and in register with chamber 94. Shoulder 104 (Fig. 4) of screw 102 lies within slot 106 in sleeve 88 and permits rotation of the mercury bucket 90 on the sleeve 88 within the limits defined by this slot. A sleeve valve 108, disposed within sleeve 88, is retained in position therein by shoulder 110 of screw 102 and is actuated thereby. Thus when the mercury bucket 90 rotates from the position shown in solid to the position shown in phantom in Figure 4, the shoulder 110 of screw 102 effects a similar rotation of sleeve valve 108, thereby bringing the port 112 in sleeve valve 108 into register with metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88. The mercury bucket 90 is provided with a port 114 which is in alignment with port 112 in sleeve valve 108. Thus, when the mercury bucket 90 assumes the position shown in phantom in Figure 4, port 114 in the mercury bucket, metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88 and port 112 in sleeve valve 108 are all in register with one another. Sleeve valve 108 (Fig. 3) has a restriction sleeve 116 disposed in one end thereof. The other end of the sleeve valve 108 is disposed adjacent to the head of ejector pin 120 which is slidably disposed in chamber 122 in sleeve 88. The tip of ejector pin 120, which lies within collar 124, engages the end of tubulation 126 of lamp 128.

In the co-pending application of Dodge and Kimball referred to above, the manner in which a lamp is positioned on the exhaust and filling machine, and the manner in which the several components of each machine head operates to effect a disposition of the lamp as lamp 128 is.

chine heads are retracted sufiiciently to permit a lamp 128 with'a tubulation 126-projecting axially from each end thereof to be positioned therebetween, with the tubulation 126 in axial alignment with funnel guide 66. Aften'thelamp has been sopositioned, the heads are advanced toward oneanother to move .them into encompassing relationship with respect to the tubulations. Re-v ferring now particularly, to Figure 1,.th1s actionis accomplished' by reciprocation of sleeve 18.to so move the mercury dispenser assembly 27, and by reciprocation'of rod- 42 within bearings 44 to so move the burner assembly 36. Upon completion of the advance stroke of the mercury dispenser assembly 27 and the burner assembly 36, the tubulation 126 (Fig. 3) extends through an aperture therefor in the burner 38, funnel guide 66, resilient collar 64, and into-collar 124 where it abuts the tip of ejector pin 120. Resilient collar 64 is then clamped tightly about tubulation 126, to effect an airtight seal between the lamp 128 and the head 10, by'ro tation'of lever 82. The rotational movement of lever 82 is translated through gear 80 '(Fig. 2), gear 78 and lever 74to cap 72. Tightening ofthe cap 72 effects a clamp ing of the resilient collar 64 tightly about the tubulation 126 through ball-bearing race 68 and flange 70 of funnel guide 66.

In the specific embodiment of the lamp exhausting and filling machine shown in the co-pending application of Dodge and Kimball referred to above, the heads which support the lamp are mounted on the periphery of spiders keyed to a shaft. Rotation of the shaft carries the heads through a 360 operating cycle. The disposition of the mercury bucket'90 at several points during this operating cycle is shown in Figure 5.

Referring nowto Figures and 4, and starting at point A in Figure 5, scoop 92 of mercury bucket 90 is completely submerged in the supply of mercury 50 in the reservoir 26 and the chamber 94 in the scoop 92 is filled with mercury up to the level of the supply of mercury 50. Atpoint B, partof the scoop 92 has moved out of the supply of mercury 50. At point C, the scoop 92 has moved completely out'of the supply of mercury and some of the mercury in the scoop 92 has run down into metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88. At point'D, the buoyant member 100 has moved into the supply of mercury 50. At point B, the mercury in the toe portion of the chamber 94in scoop 92 flows out and returns to the supply of mercury 50, leaving a quantity of mercuryin the shank portion of thechamber 94 and in the metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88 as shown in Figure 4.

When the center of gravity of the scoop 92 shifts to the right of a vertical line through the center of the mercury reservoir, the scoop 92 moves from the position shown in solidto the position shown in phantom in Figure 4 (point F in Fig. 5) and the shoulder 104 of screw 102 traverses the slot 106 in fixed sleeve 88. Added impetus is given to this rotational movement of the bucket 90 'by the buoyant member 100 which, because of the displacement of the mercury bucket 90, tends to rise toward the surface of the mercury in the reservoir.

When the scoop 92 moves from the position shown in solid to the position shown in phantom in Figure 4, it shears the body of mercury in the chamber 94 from the mercury in metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88, the mercury in orifice 96 being the quantity of mercury which is to be introduced into the lamp. Since sleeve valve'198 is connected to mercury bucket 90 through shoulder 110 of screw 102, sleeve valve 108 rotates with the bucket, and the port 112 in sleeve valve 108 moves into register with metering orifice 96 in sleeve 88. With orifice 96 and port 112 now in register, the mercury in orifice 96' may pass through port 112 and into sleeve valve 168.

The mercury in sleeve valve 108 is then swept into the lamp 128 (Fig. 3) passing through the bore of ejector pin 120, and lamp tubulation 126. The mercury is swept into the lamp by the introduction into the reservoir 26- of a gas through tubing 130. The path of this flow of gas into sleeve valve 108 is through port 114 (Fig. 4) in mercury bucket 90 (this port having been displaced, from the position shown in solid to a position in register with orifice 96 and port 112 when the mercury bucket rotated to the position shown in phantom) and orifice 96 and port 112 into sleeve valve 108 as well as through restriction sleeve 116 (Fig. 3) into sleeve valve 108.

At points G and H in Figure 5, the mercury bucket 90 starts its travel into the supply of mercury 50 to fill the scoop 92 thereof for the next mercury dispensing operation.

As is described in the co-pending application of Dodge and Kimball referred to above, after the exhausting and filling operations have been completed, tipping of the lubulation 126 from the end of the lamp 128 is effected by burner 38, the exhaust machine heads are retracted, and the lamp 128 is withdrawn from the machine. Thereafter, the tubulation 126 is ejected from the head 10. First the cap 72 isloosened to relieve the grip which resilient collar 64 exerted on tubulation 126 during the exhausting and filling operations. Loosening of the cap 72' is effected by rotation of lever 74 which is clamped to the cap72 by screw 76 (Fig. 2). With the tubulation 126 now free to be ejected, tubing 130 is connected to a source of compressed airfor a brief interval of time. The blast of compressed air into the chamber of the reservoir 26 drives ejector pin 120 forward in chamber 122 and pushes the tubulation 126-out of. the head. The return stroke of the ejector pin. 120 within its chamber 122'is effected by the'tubulation ofthe next lamp to be processedwhen the head 10 moves into encompassing relationship with respect thereto.

What :we claim is:

1. A mercury feeding apparatus comprising: .a reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said reservoir, said sleeve havinga metering orifice therein; and a bucket rotatably mounted on said sleeve, said bucket being moveable into and out of the bodyof mercury in said reservoir to scoop up a quantity of mercury therefrom in excess of the amount needed to fill the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said bucket also being-moveable into and out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve to fill it and to carry away the excess'mercury therefrom.

2. A mercury feeding-apparatus comprising: a reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said. reservoir, said sleeve having a metering orifice therein; and a bucket rotatably mounted intermediate its ends'on said sleeve, said bucket having a scoop on one end thereof thecenter of gravity of said scoop being offset from the major axis of said bucket, said scoop being moveable, upon rotation of said reservoir, into and out of the body of mercury in said reservoir to pick up a quantity of mercury in excess of the amount needed to fill the metering orifice in said sleeve and into and out of register with themetering orifice in said sleeve tofill it and to carry away the excess mercury therefrom.

3. A mercury feeding apparatus comprising: a reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said reservoir, said sleeve having a metering orifice therein; and a bucket rotatably mounted intermediate its ends on said sleeve, said bucket having a scoop on one end thereof and a buoyant member on the other end thereof, said scoop being movable into and out of the body of mercury in said reservoir to pick up a'quantity ofmercury in excess of the amount needed to fill the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said scoop also being moveable, under the influence of said buoyant member, into and out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve to fill it and to carry away the excess mercury therefrom.

4. A mercury dispenser comprising: a reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said reservoir establishing communication from the exteriorto the interior thereof, said sleeve having a metering orifice in a wall thereof inside said reservoir; a bucket rotatably mounted on said sleeve, said bucket having a chamber therein. communicable with the body of mercury in said reservoir and moveable into and out of register with'said metering orifice in said sleeve to feed a quantity of mercury thereto; and a valve rotatably disposed within said sleeve, said'valve having a port in a wall thereof out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve when the chamber in said bucket is in register with the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said port in said valve being moveable into register with the metering orifice in said sleeve when the chamber in said bucket is out of register with the metering'orifice in said sleeve, wherebythe quantity of mercury deposited in themetering orifice of said sleeve from the chamber in said bucket may be delivered therefrom into said valve.

5; A mercury dispenser comprising: a reservoir within which abody of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a Wall of said reservoir establishing com munication from the exterior to the interior thereof, said sleeve having a metering orifice in a wall thereof inside said reservoir; a bucket rotatably mounted on said sleeve, said bucket having a chamber therein communicable with the body of mercury in said reservoir and moveable into and out of register with said metering orifice in said sleeve to feed a quantity of mercury thereto; and a valve rotatably disposed within said sleeve and connected to said bucket for rotation therewith, said valve having a port in a wall thereof out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve when the chamber in said bucket is in register with the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said port in said valve being moveable into register with the metering orifice in said sleeve upon rotation of said bucket to which said valve is connected, whereby the quantity of mercury deposited in the metering orifice of said sleeve from the chamber in said bucket may be delivered therefrom into said valve.

6. Apparatus for dispensing and delivering a measured quantity of mercury from a reservoir of mercury to an electrical device, said apparatus comprising: a reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said reservoir and extending therethrough, said sleeve being in register with an aperture in the electrical device and said sleeve having a metering orifice in a wall thereof inside said reservoir; a bucket rotatably mounted on said sleeve, said bucket having a chamber therein communicable with the body of mercury in said reservoir and moveable into and out of register with said metering orifice in said sleeve to feed a quantity of mercury thereto; a valve, having a port in a wall thereof, rotatably disposed within said sleeve, out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve when the chamber in said bucket is in register with the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said port in said valve being moveable into register with the metering orifice in said sleeve when the chamber in said bucket is out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve, whereby the quantity of mercurv deposited in the metering orifice of said sleeve from the chamber in said bucket may be delivered therefrom into said valve; and means through which said reservoir may be connected to a source of gas under pressure for driving the mercury in said valve through said sleeve and into the electrical device through the aperture therein.

7. Apparatus for dispensing and delivering a measured quantity of mercury from a reservoir of mercury to an electrical device, said apparatus comprising: a reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said reservoir and extending therethrough, said sleeve being in register with an aperture in the electrical device and said sleeve having a metering orifice in a Wall thereof inside said reservoir; a bucket rotatably mounted on said sleeve, said bucket having a chamber therein communicable with the body of mercury in said reservoir and moveable into and out of register with said metering orifice in said sleeve to feed a quantity of mercury thereto; a valve, rotatably disposed Within said sleeve and connected to said bucket for rotation therewith, said valve having a port in a wall thereof out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve when the chamber in said bucket is in register with the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said port in said valve being moveable into register with the metering orifice in said sleeve upon rotation of said bucket to which said valve is connected, whereby the quantity of mercury deposited in the metering orifice of said sleeve from the chamber in said bucket may be delivered therefrom into said valve; and means through which said reservoir may be connected to a source of gas under pressure for driving the mercury in said valve through said sleeve and into the electrical device through the aperture therein.

8. A mercury feeding apparatus comprising: a rotatable reservoir within which a body of mercury is disposed; a sleeve fixedly mounted in a wall of said reservoir, said sleeve having a metering orifice therein; a bucket rotatably mounted on said sleeve; and means for limiting the rotation of said bucket on said sleeve, said bucket being moveable, upon rotation of said reservoir, into and out of the body of mercury in said reservoir to scoop up a quantity of mercury therefrom inexcess of the amount needed to fill the metering orifice in said sleeve, and said bucket also being moveable, upon rotation of said reservoir, and said bucket on said sleeve, into and out of register with the metering orifice in said sleeve to fill it and to carry away the excess mercury therefrom.

No references cited. 

